Chances are, Corey Andonovski is the smartest person in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization.
If nothing else, he might be the most educated.
At least, that’s a safe bet, based on the business degree he graduated from a small institution called Princeton last spring.
“Very lucky to have this opportunity to go to such a great school and graduate with such a great degree,” Andonovski said. “Hopefully I don’t have to use him so soon and I have a nice, long playing career. It’s nice to have in my back pocket. I just hope I can play as long as I can.”
Andonovski is in the early stages of his current career as a professional hockey player with the Penguins.
After his senior season, he signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Penguins on March 10 and an amateur tryout contract in the American Hockey League with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
He didn’t pick up a point in five AHL games, but received a crash course in the significant difference between the NCAA game and the pro game.
Namely: At 6-foot-1 and 194 pounds, Andonovski was one of the taller physiques in most games he played at Princeton. But there are many grown men in the AHL who tower over him.
“It’s different coming out of college,” said Andonovski, who is attending the team’s prospect development camp in Cranberry this week. “And that’s about what I expected. But of course there are still areas in your game where you can be strong, whether it’s making pucks strong or being strong at depth. Everyone is friendly at eye level. I’m not the greatest anymore.”
At the same time, Andonovski will not give up the power play that earned him an NHL contract.
“It’s a whole new adjustment, especially from Princeton and the Eastern College Athletic Conference in (the AHL). And I thought he did well,” said Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coach JD Forrest. “You’re used to just overwhelming guys left and right (in college) and now you have to dig a little bit deeper to do that. You’ll be amazed at the strength on the other side of the puck.
“It’s been great for him to get his feet wet in those first five games and know what he’s getting into. It gives him a whole summer to prepare for it. I still think he’s on the stronger side of things. He’s a big, strong guy. He can move his feet. He’ll have to try to use some of that speed and not just rely on his strength. But that will come with time.”
Andonovski spent four years at Princeton but was only able to play three seasons. All Ivy League schools have canceled athletic competitions during the 2020-21 season as a precautionary measure for Covid-19.
“It’s probably the first time in a long time, if ever, that I’ve basically taken a season off of hockey,” Andonovski said. “It’s been my life for 23 years now. Obviously not actually playing (stunk). It was tough staying in shape and staying sharp. Princeton gave us a small chance to come on campus and work with our coaches and everything at our facility, which was nice (in Spring 2021). It’s never the same as gameplay or staying in game shape. … (Covid-19) obviously disrupted a lot of things, so we were lucky that we at least had the opportunity to do that.”
In the 2021–22 season, Andonovski led Princeton with 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 31 games.
After competing in a couple of AHL competitions this past spring, Andonovski seems very optimistic about what he’s learned so far.
“There’s obviously a little jump,” said Andonovski. “Boys are bigger, stronger, very detail-oriented. It was a small change. But even though it was (short), I got into a few games right away. It’s an adjustment whenever you make that jump. But I think I somehow held my ground. Hopefully as I get more games I will feel more comfortable and other things will come and I will get even more used to this level.
Note: Casey DeSmith, a 30-year-old who is definitely not interested, attended the first day of camp and worked alongside other goalies. He was rehabilitated after sustaining a groin injury during a postseason game in early May that eventually required surgery.
Seth Rorabaugh is a contributor to the Tribune Review. You can contact Seth via email at [email protected] or via Twitter .